Hello all :-) I'm back! First off, let's talk about the crap weather. Winter is imminent, my friends. That means it's time to whip out the tights, but with these delicate pieces of hosiery comes a whole host of problems that run the gamut. I mean...buy them, wear them, and then bloody rip them – that always seems to be the case with tights I own. From the length, to the quality of the fabric and its propensity to tear in the most awkward places, tights are a troublesome yet essential part of most women’s fall wardrobes.

But that was until I discovered the Razzamatazzopaque tights. It happened while I was browsing through Priceline, adding things that I probably did not need to my basket, when I saw these stockings humbly hanging on a shelf. And then I thought – why not?

So, it came back home with me and guess what?

It might’ve been the best thing I’ve bought all year. These babies are virtually indestructible.

I got this in the 40 Denier version, but they do this in a plethora of other variations – footless, printed, sheerer, more opaque…you name it. Razzamatazz even offers fleece-lined tights, which will be lovely for the winter, and has extended their range to include body-shaping hosiery that keeps your wobbly bits in nicely.

This comes in two sizes, ‘Petite / Medium’ and ‘Tall / X-Tall’. For girls like myself who come in at around 1.6 metres and are neither tall nor petite, the size ‘Petite / Medium’ is a godsend. It has just the right length of fabric and covers my gams without me having to jam my toes against the closed end of the stocking, desperately yanking the fabric up.

To add to the complexity that is finding the Perfect Tights, after some wear, most tights begin to develop those pesky little fuzz balls that cling to the surface of the fabric. This is called ‘pilling’, and any attempt to pluck those unsightly flecks will only result in either:

1. Ripping a small hole in the fabric, or 2. Causing parts of the fibre in the stocking to come undone,

...both of which results in an awful ladder up your thigh. Thankfully, the Razzamatazz tights do not have this issue. Pilling is absent, if not minimal, and if it’s any indication, I’m on my 20th wear with no rips, tears or gashes. As for the quality of the fabric, it seemed fairly durable. Believe me, I am no lady; and tights that want to roll with me need to be able to withstand a bit of manhandling.

But how durable is durable? I put it to the test by clipping my nails and went about my daily life, waiting to see if my chipped nail polish or freshly trimmed talons would prove to be a problem. Sure enough, it got caught in my tights on several occasions; but upon inspection, I couldn’t find any holes or disruptions in the fabric. Hurrah!

I went one step further and sat on cobblestone streets before hurriedly turning to check my bum for any damage done.The result? Nothing. Nada. No dramatic gashes, not even fuzzy fabric on the area that came into contact with the rough surface. Now, of course, if I were to vigorously wiggle my butt against the cobblestones, these stockings would most certainly have been damaged; but the point of the exercise was to see how well the tights would hold up in ordinary, everyday situations. And I’d say it held up wonderfully. The material was delicate yet sturdy, and is far superior to tights that you can find from high street retailers.

Best of all? :-) It was just AUD$12.99 for a pack of three. What a bargain! Each pair comes down to an economical AUD$4.30, which makes me feel like running to my nearest Priceline and stocking up on more of these (aha, pun intended). Plus, when they do eventually get old, you can toss them without feeling guilty. So, to the women who are looking for tights for the colder months ahead, Razzamatazz is where it's at, y'all.